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Friday, April 19, 2024
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HOLLYWOOD THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH
EDITOR'S PICK
'The
Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death' - moderate chills, thrills (IANS Movie Review)
Rating:
**
We've had enough haunted house stories! And seriously, filmmakers are running
out of ideas to scare audiences. 'The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death' makes a
valiant effort of actually telling a ghost story, but it uses the old tricks in
the book to scare viewers.
There's an emotionally scarred child latching on to a doll, chairs rocking in
the middle of the night and loud knocks on the door. These don't make our pulse
race, heart pound or send shivers up our spines, at least not anymore. Although
the film has an interesting premise, it's not as involving or spookily
atmospheric as the original.
Set during World War II, the film starts with a group of school children being
evacuated from London to a safer place. The group is sent to stay at a remote,
abandoned house in the hinterlands, where an evil spirit is lurking on the
premises. Jennet Humfrye, who killed herself after watching her young son
Nathaniel drown in the last part, sticks around the property, seeking vengeance.
What's interesting to an extent is to see how children will prepare themselves
and grim up during the times of horror. It could've been an interesting story
about terrified children torn from their families and shoved into what turns out
to be greater danger. But this aspect is short-lived as the story treads the
same haunted grounds we're all familiar with.
You'd be surprised to be guessing some the horror antics even before they unfold
for how predictable these stories have become. Even the film's impressive
production designs are let down by the plethora of horror cliches.
The first part, 'The Woman in Black', starring a familiar cast of Daniel
Radcliffe, was set in the Victorian era. It became the biggest horror hit of the
decade because of its wonderful period setting. The sequel fails largely due to
the monotonous path it takes to scare the viewers, who are not even hooked on to
the story at the first place.
The jet black cinematography in 'The Woman in Black 2' does serve some chills,
but the film scores very low the overall scare meter. The melancholic atmosphere
and unremitting fear of the first film is completely missing.
